Busy time in the Apple offices

and an Apple in a tree.....

a bite of the Apple

In my files as September 16, 1969

Back on the roof

Being the feminist that he was in 1969, on April 22 John official changed his middle name to Ono so that both and he would be "Ono Lennon."   I don't understand why Yoko did not start going by Yoko Ono Lennon at this time.   Anyhow, the official ceremony took place on the rooftop of Apple.   That roof was a busy place in 1969!

Ahhh...the night before.

Checking out the roof

News from London in 1970

 Here is another installment from the Harrison Herald from Val F., an American that moved to London and wrote back to the fan magazine about the news from London.   This is right after she moved to the city in the spring of 1970. This article was published in the September 1970 issue of the newsletter. 

Ringo outside of Apple in August 1970

I moved to London on May 21st with the help of my mum (God bless her!) and Dad's mastercharge.  I live in Mayfair, the nicest (or worse, depending...) section of London. I have a job as an Au Pair worker (chambermaid to put it bluntly) which could be worse.  If any of you would like info on how to get her and stay here, I'll be happy to send it to you.

I could tell you about my adventures at Apple, but George, John, Paul and Ringo fans would be bored to tears.  And since this is the George newsletter I'd better keep it so.

I was at Apple a few days ago when an Apple employee (who shall remain nameless for his own sake) came out on the steps and smiled saying, "Ah, all the American tourists have gone home!"  I innocently said, "Pardon amoi?"    Enough.

Anyone who says the Beatles are a moody lot, I can vouch for!  One minute Ringo is pushing cameras away and the next minute he's busy signing autographs galore.  George is friendly most of the time, though on occasions he becomes so fed up he's rude.

All of you Captain Hook lovers, Geoge has a lovely pirate flag atop Friar Park.  Really cracks me up each time I see it.  All those headed for Henley-on-Thames -- beware of the dog!  He hasn't bought it yet, but that sign's been up for ages.  I believe he's getting a big fierce bulldog.  In answer to the comment "I thought he didn't like dogs!" I can honestly say he dislikes snoopy fans even more.  In the meantime, while George is dog searching, Terry Doran is doing a superb substitute job.  In fact, I'm taking him a collar and chain next trip up.

My first trip to Friar Park was a total fiasco.  First Terry called us "crap".  Then he took my box of "good news" candy for George without a ta or thank you.  Then we were taking photos of the convent and grounds so our whole trip wouldn't be a waste when someone whistled at us like we were dogs.  Who's a dog?  I should've bit him!  It was George and he told us in plain English to "go away," which we did after a few mumbled choice words.   I was so mad at him I bought a John and Yoko poster!

I understand why George was so mad though.  A few days earlier at Apple, he came on an annual yearly visit.  On his way in some French boys decided they didn't want him to rush in, as George usually does.  So one of the boys jumped on his shoulder.  George was furious!  He threw the guy off and in a Liverpool Teddy Boy voice said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you.  I'll bash your face in!"

I've seen George twice since then and both times he's been very nice and friendly.

As for the other Beatles, my apologies to Paul for all those tourists who went trapesing up to Scotland invading his property.  Can't you people relaize why he went there?  Well, he's coming home now, I guess, so Heather can return to school.  John's been in L.A. since I came here.  Ringo is all about London.  I've seen him at Apple quite a few times.

P.S.  George is a better housekeeper than Paul!  Also I saw a travel poster for Japan,  It said, 'Yoko's been there!  Have you?"

50 years since the wildest Christmas Party ever

I am sure that many of you went to various Christmas Parties this weekend.  And while some of them might have been a little crazy, I sure hope none of you experienced the craziness of the Christmas Party held at 3 Savile Row 50 years ago today. 

Apple decided to have a Christmas Party on December 23, 1968.   The party was to have two parts.  At 2:30pm there was to be a children's party.   I am not sure what children exactly were invited, but I do know that Zak and Jason Starkey were there as well as Apple employee's kids and relatives.     Somehow John Lennon was talked into playing the part of Father Christmas and Yoko joined in as Mother Christmas.    The children's party went alright, I suppose.    The kids were bouncing off the walls, as would be expected for young kids, especially given the fact that they were fed cookies and candy.    They were entertained by some typical child party entertainers (I recall a ventriloquist).   Then John and Yoko (along with Mary Hopkin) came out and delivered the wrapped gifts to the kids.  John was heard saying a very deadpan, "Ho Ho Ho" and Yoko was heard saying a bizarre "He He He."  Mary was there to help hand out the gifts.

Don't you think John could have worn better shoes when he was Father Christmas?

By 6:00 the adult party was to get started (although some of the kids were still there).   There was a cast of pretty wild characters at the party.   We had the homeless family that was there as well as the Hell's Angles that came by George Harrison's invite.    George wasn't at the party and neither was Paul.    For the second part of the party, John and Yoko changed back to their regular clothing.  Derek Taylor got a turkey that was over 40 pounds and was supposedly the biggest Christmas turkey in England that year.    The turkey was taking a long, long time to cook and the Hell's Angels guys were really hungry and impatient and started a fight.  Someone got punched and John almost got hit as well and then Peter Brown stepped in and tried to get the situation calmed down.    Eventually, the turkey was ready and the main Angel guy, Pete grabbed the turkey leg and ripped it off the bird and gnawed on it while the rest of the crew tore the bird to pieces. 


Crazy but true times at Apple!

Beatles bits

Every night I just pick up another "Beatles Rule!" Fan club newsletter from the stack and see what fan stories I discover.    Here is what I found tonight in the March 1970 issue. 

Beatle Bits
By Alex Millen

While I was in London I couldn't help but spend most of my time at Apple and Cavendish Avenue.  The first thing I noticed about Apple was that on the basement window was written in felt-tip pen, "Beatles rule!!  December 29, 1969."   So naturally, I would like to know who did this.   It had me guessing ever since!   Outside of Apple were about 20 fans so I joined them.   After a while, through John's office window, we caught a glimpse of him talking on the phone.  Resplendent in his new haircut, he kept smiling at us as Yoko walked around the room apparently looking for something.  But soon they were gone.   We waited for years but they didn't come out.  so, selfishly putting my stomach first, I went to lunch.   When I came back I walked into the Reception Hall and the mess just hit me!  They were redecorating and I couldn't get moving for stepladders, cover sheets, brushes, etc.  When I finally battered my way to the desk and asked if John was in.  "Yeah, but no, you can't see him!"  I asked if I could have some handouts.  "No, they're all locked away because we are redecorating."  Blah Blah Blah! 



So I gave up Apple and decided that our man McCartney deserved a visit.   As I turned into Cavendish Avenue I was pleasantly surprised to see about 25 fans (January 31) sat on the wall opposite his house.  I recognized some girls who were at Apple and we stood around talking.  I  hadn't been there five minutes when one of the windows at Number 7 shot open and who else but Mrs. Paul McCartney appeared and shouted, no, screamed..."Go away won't you?  He's my Paul now, not your Paul.  Go away!"  We all stood around in amazement, then a few less lady-like ones in the bunch gave few comments, not unlike those heard last summer.   But our patience was rewarded, for about an hour later, the curtains parted and Paul peered through the window, smiled, waved and disappeared.   There wasn't even time to lift camera to eye but it satisfied most of the girls.   I later read in the musical papers it was around that time Paul was working on some new songs.   Apple released a statement in February that Paul is to issue a solo LP of his own compositions in mid-March or early April.     It will be shortly after the release of the Get Back album in Britain. 

Apple to the Core - Book review

The book, Apple to the Core by Peter McCabe and Robert Shonfield was written in September of 1971 and published in 1972.   It has long been considered one of the core (no pun intended) books that all Beatle fans must read. 

Does it still hold up in 2018?   Why was it so well received when it was originally published?

The book is the story of the Beatles break up.    It goes into the background of Brian Epstein and NEMS and then after his death and the legal issues Apple had and continued to have after the announcement that the Beatles would no longer be working together.      It is about 200 pages long (with tiny print) and is a very good overview of the ins and outs of the legal problems and issues that happened in and out of court as the Beatles' partnership was dissolving.   Many other books have been written on this topic since 1972 that may go into more detail and might even be more accurate; however, this is a great book for those of you who want to start digging into this confusing topic.

In 1972, this book was everything to Beatle fans.   It gave a lot of tidbits of information that they would not have known, and it was well-written.  Today it is a time-capsule piece. Written while the breakup was going on, it tells the story as a modern happening and not as something from the past. The authors must have been present in the courtroom during the various proceedings because they quote the lawyers word-for-word.   I found a lot of legal terms and things to be confusing, but it isn't impossible to understand.

There are also a lot of interviews with players in the story that are no longer with us:  Allen Klein, Nat Weiss, Derek Taylor, Neil Aspinall, and Lee Eastman are all quoted.   You will not find these interviews in any other book.  The quotes from Neil were especially interesting, as he typically did not give interviews.

I especially found the story of Ringo going to Paul's house and asking that the McCartney album release date be moved so as not to interfere with the Let It Be album release. The story that has been going around for years is that Paul broke some expensive artwork (I have even heard it was one of Stu's paintings) in anger  (over Ringo's head???).    Well --   there was NO mention of artwork being broken in the story that was told shortly after it happened.   Paul was angry, and Ringo called him a spoiled child, but nothing remotely violent happened between them. 

This book has been out of print for a long time, but it is one that is easy to find at second-hand shops, Beatles conventions, and libraries.  It is well worth having on your Beatles bookshelf if you don't have it already.

A brief Ringo encounter

I think Ringo is wearing the same thing he was wearing in a photo I posted of him yesterday. 

The give away

On July 31, 1968, The Beatles had one of the best endings to a business that I know of.   When the Apple Boutique in London was not making the money they expected, the gave away the leftover stock and closed the doors.    Since this happened in the midst of the summer, fans were in London from all around the globe in hopes of seeing the Beatles.    When the news went that the Beatles were giving away things from Apple, they flocked to the shop to take home a souvenir, even if it was just  hanger or a piece of carpet (although most fans hoped to take home an actual article of clothing). 

An Apple a Day

Apple announcement

Photo by Leslie Samuels 

Getting a photo with Paul

Apple Staff

Is that Beatles sheet music in the background (for Don't pass me by?) 

Apple work

Make way for McCartney

Glimpse of a Starr

Still wearing polka dots